Democracy Wins in Gambia, Surprisingly.

After 22 years of ruthless rule under President Yahya Jammeh, Gambians were successful in forcing democracy to prevail. On December 1st, 2016, Jammeh conceded defeat to Adama Barrow. There seems to be a new wave of hope for a robust economy, a stronger educational system, and the hope for Gambians that fled to return home, without fear of a ruthless and violent rule.

Alex Vines who writes for News Week, wrote an interesting article about the election. He noted that most elections in West Africa are monitored by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), who rarely monitor the Gambian election, categorizing them as irrelevant, or, feeling as though there is “little point to”. Ironic, no? When for 22 years a man imprisoned his people, starved economic growth, and created a mass brain drain… surely the ECOWAS would want to see a West African nation prevail. So, without their help, Gambians took matters into their own hands, and said enough through their vote.  It seems as though the ECOWAS will continue to see pressure from voters all over West Africa, as situations in Ethiopia and Burundi, are escalating quickly as the reelection of presidents into their third term in sparking violence. A repeat of a Gambian-esq election is to be expected.